AWARDS SPECIAL BY BY SBI AUTHOR STAFF
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SBI’s Yearbook
hen it came to time to put our annual Yearbook recap together, it was obvious that COVID-19 pandemic was going to be the storyline of the year (and probably the twenty-first century so far). The pandemic changed the way sign shops, graphics providers, manufacturers, suppliers, and trade associations operated and communicated. Suddenly “essential business,” “social distancing signage,” and “new normal” became a part of everyone’s lexicon. So for this year’s edition, we are eschewing our main look at the memorable projects of the past year (although we do have some of these notables included 18
Sign Builder Illustrated
within) and are instead focusing on the news and trends related to COVID-19 that the sign industry encountered and how these solutions could play pivotal roles over the coming months and years. We’ve grouped these news briefs into distinct categories to help you differentiate between them. At the end of each item, you’ll find a citation directing you to further information either in a certain issue or on our Web site. Here’s to hoping that next year’s Yearbook installment will allow us to be able to focus exclusively on exciting projects and notable sign industry trends once again.
December 2020
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FINANCIAL AID The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc along the entire economic landscape. Small businesses in the United States, such as sign shops, felt the brunt of this slowdown through temporary closures of their own businesses or those of their clients. At first, only the state of Maryland deemed sign shops as “essential.” However the International Sign Association worked diligently to get many sign, graphics, and visual communication companies deemed essential and designated as “critical infrasctructure.” (https://bit.ly/3pBfkUW) The Families First Coronavirus Resignshop.com
Photo: Shutterstock.com/Aliantsin Suprunovich.
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2020
